While the Buffalo Bills prepare for their first of hopefully four postseason games, more than half of the NFL is preparing for the offseason, including the NFL Draft coming up in April. As the draft analysts like to say, it’s always draft season, so there’s no harm in Bills Mafia peeking ahead to the upcoming draft class.
Most Bills fans want to see general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott address the wide receiver room in the first round of the draft, but sometimes the board doesn’t shake out perfectly. Seeing as the Bills could use some defensive help, particularly against the run, if the value at wide receiver isn’t stacking up, the team could look to beef up its front seven.
That’s exactly what happened to Buffalo in Jordan Reid’s latest mock draft on ESPN.
Buffalo Bills miss out on WRs, land elite Georgia linebacker instead in latest ESPN Mock Draft
With the Bills picking 24th in Reid’s mock draft, Buffalo selected Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen, one spot after the Bears took the final first-round wide receiver in the mock, Washington’s Denzel Boston.
Reid acknowledged the Bills’ need at receiver, but with Boston off the board and no first-round graded receivers remaining, he pivoted to the need at linebacker. Shaq Thompson and Matt Milano are fantastic linebackers, but both players’ contracts run out this offseason, plus they’ll both turn 32.
“Allen is a sudden second-level defender who steps downhill with a lot of closing speed,” Reid wrote of Allen. “He's a consistent run defender who thrives on contact. He needs to improve his eyes and awareness in coverage, but Allen has gotten better in those areas this season.”
Coming from Georgia’s defensive pipeline courtesy of Kirby Smart, if the Bills are forced into selecting a linebacker, they could do a lot worse in the first round. Allen had over 200 tackles in three seasons with the Bulldogs, as well as 13.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 10 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and an interception. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound backer was the leader of Smart’s defense and could develop into the next star linebacker in Buffalo’s defense as well.
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The Bills haven’t taken a linebacker in the first round since 2018. That turned out well, as Tremaine Edmunds became a key piece in the middle of Buffalo’s defense for five seasons before he moved on to Chicago in free agency. Allen may not have Edmunds' size, but his instincts and experience translate well to the next level.
Allen may not be the exact pick Bills fans want, but he’s certainly a player to keep an eye on through the draft process. In Reid’s mock draft, he was the second off-ball linebacker taken, giving the Bills strong value with their first pick. Unless his stock booms at the NFL Combine next month, he could be in play for the Bills at the back end of the first round.